Mysterious Echoes of Whispering Gallery of Gol Gumbaz Bijapur
Continuing with my journey through Bijapur, this week I relate my experiences at whispering gallery Gol Gumbaz. Gol Gumbaz is the second largest dome in the world, the first being St. Peter’s Basilica, Rome. It is the tomb of Mohammed Adil Shah (1627-56 AD), the 7th ruler of this dynasty.
Adil Shah II wanted a monument that matched his fathers’ tomb, the Ibrahim Rauza. Little did he know then that same monument would turn in to his sepulcher. It was designed and built by the renowned architect Yaqut of Dabul but could not be completed as the king died unexpectedly in 1656. This incomplete building was converted in to his sepulcher.
Gol Gumbaz Bijapur
Facade of Gol Gumbaz
Whispering Gallery of Gol Gumbaz Interiors
On entering the massive structure we were surprised to see that it was a single huge room. The entire floor area we were told was 1700sqm, in the center were the cenotaphs of the Mohammad Adil, his two wives, his mistress Rambha, his daughter and grandson. The hugeness and hollowness of this single room is unfathomable from outside. The Gumbaz, meaning the dome, was high up at a height of 51 m.
Cenotaphs of the Mohammad Adil, his two wives, his mistress Rambha, his daughter and grandson.
We climbed the stairs of one of the minarets, seven floors, to reach the Gumbaz. In fact we hurried through the stairs to reach the whispering gallery. The whispering gallery of Gol Gumbaz is famed for the clear echoes of the faintest whistle, not once but more than nine times. There has to be pin drop silence to hear that.
The Gumbaz opens at 6AM; we were there even before that. There was one more family of three members and we had an unspoken understanding to maintain pin drop silence. When one member made a sound the rest of us listened and counted in silence the echoes. We could very clearly hear seven echoes, then the fainter ones too.
Whispers were clearly audible at diametrically opposite side of the dome. Children had fun exchanging whispers. Awed completely by the acoustical wonder we sat there in darkness marveling at this treasure of India. More than three centuries old, the monument stood strong bearing the brunt of nature.
Soon it was morning; local crowd started trickling in, with of course no spoken or unspoken understanding. Each of them wanting to hear his own echo, and then there was total cacophony. We then walked along the gallery around the base of the dome, its width just about 3.54m peeping down at the tombs down below. Any accidental fall from there would mean sure…
Outside the dome, the petals like structures were reflecting the red glow from the sun’s rays. The monument stood high and mighty to face one more day. If this was the marvel in its incomplete state I wonder what it would have been, if it was completed!
Gol Gumbaz Interesting Facts and Figures
- A civil engineering marvel
- Second largest dome in World
- It stands without support of pillars, making it an architectural wonder
- It covers an area of 1700 sqm, diameter of 44 m
- Any small whisper gets amplified, echoes back and can be heard at least seven times after across a distance of more than 40 meters in the vast dome
- Built in 1656 it took 30 years to complete the construction
- The mausoleum was designed by Yaqut of Dabul
Tips for a Great Experience at Gol Gumbaz
- Go there early, preferably on weekdays for fewer crowds to fully enjoy your whispering gallery experience
- Avoid the intense summer heat from March to June
- Witnessing a rainy of winter sunrise from the whispering tomb would be a great experience
- Good parking facilities
- No eateries within the complex
Caution: This is not a place for handicapped and those with weak knees. The steps to climb to the dome are very big and steep. You have climb seven floors to reach the dome, that is round 100 steps to climb one way.
Tickets and Timings for Gol Gumbaz
Timings: Gol Gumbaz is closed to public on Fridays. Other days it is open from 10 AM to 5 PM. These are new timings. When I visited in 2009, it was open early in the morning at 6.30 AM.
Tickets: The Gol Gumbaz entry ticket for Indians is 20INR, for foreigners the ticket price is 200INR. SAARC and BIMSTEC citizens pay 20INR each as Gol Gumbaz entry ticket price. Free for children below 15 years of age. There is no charge for taking digital cameras inside.
How to Get To Vijayapura
Bijapur can be accessed by road and rail. We did the road trip to Vijayapura from Bangalore halting at places like Pattadakal, Badami, and Hampi.
Bijapur Railway Station is four minutes from Gol Gumbaz.
The nearest airport is in Belgaum, with limited number of domestic flights, at a distance of 214 km by road and Hyderabad, which has international airport, at a distance of 355 km. You can hire both private and public transport that will drop you off at Gol Gumbaz in Vijayapura.
Other best Things to Do in Bijapur
Bijapur is a small town stuffed with lots of interesting things to do and interesting things to see. Though a small place, you may need well over two days to see and experience it well. If you have valid Indian Driver’s License, you can hire a car and drive around at your convenience. There are plenty of tour packages that you can opt for different activities in the historic town of Bijapur.
Here is a list of places to see in Bijapur: Things to Do in Bijapur
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(This was first written on July 13th 2009.)
Wow! I never knew that it is the second-largest dome in the world.
Namaskara! Chenagi deera? Bijapur looks awesome! I just discovered your blog this evening. I spent 4 weeks in Bengaluru in February on a Rotary GSE exchange program. Dhanyavadagalu
Kind regards from EAGAN daily photo in Minnesota, USA
i have heard and read so many interesting things about bijapur….it seems to be an enchanting place…..the pics of gol gumbaz are very nice and am sure from ur post that it was a very memorable journey for you…
Wonderful post and awesome pictures!!
hey indrani..mebbe you should pen a book on forts of india.. i have not seen the gol gumbaz yet!! so it was quite interesting..
check this blog
http://agonist.org/sean_paul_kelley/20090403/ibrahim_rouza_and_bijapur_reconsidered
What an awesome post, and thanks for sharing the pictures.
Indrani
Thank you for taking us through a fascinating tour of the Gol Gumbaz. Exquisite photographs – highlights the marvelous architecture and romance of the Gumbaz !
Definitely one of the great wonders of Mughal Architecture. Must plan a visit sometime in the near future.
This is real beauty !!Thanks for the history and beautiful photographs !!Unseen Rajasthan
Very nice account. And to think you went early to experience the echoes before the crowd poured in.
Hi Indrani! I need to 'share' this that you have frozen the moments in amazing way!! very inspiring, innovative, creative, wonderful and lovely ( running out of adjectives! 🙂 ) camera work. i need to spare more time here on your blogs and I will!
All the best to you!
Been to this place, Everything except the heat is wonderful 🙂
Nicely written, will join the trip 🙂
Beautiful images…I would ove to go there soon. So how many times did it echo?
What a fantastic post – the writing and the pictures are just too good. I remember "learning" about the Gol Gumbaz in history class in school, but what we were taught was such dry-as-dust stuff, with not a picture in sight! Thanks for this!
Wow what an incredible place and it seems you were there at just the right time to truly hear the echos in otherwise silence. The sun reflecting so beautifully and your wonderful angles and perspectives show it's incredible beauty. Nicely told.
Indrani, it's interesting to know that Gol Gumbaz is the second largest dome in the world. It's a magnificent monument indeed, with great architecture, situated in a charming scenery. I've really enjoyed these wonderful images.
Wonderful writing. Waitng to hear the echoes must be awesome.
Amazing, I'm getting useful information about a place by simply reading your posts in your blog.
Keep writing…
I always have ambivalent feelings about these monuments Great Men leave to themselves…of course, the emotional response of those who came after is to the structure itself, and most usually not to the greatness of the powerful man for whom it was built.
Wonderful place 🙂
I had visit Rome in 2007,
I had seen the big basilica!!
Beautiful architecture
and old history.
Very interesting post,
nice and good written 😉
Incredible, to visit such a place. A very educational post and fantastic photographs. Thank you for sharing them.
amazing clicks and a history behind it!!
A wonderful post with so much beauty and pathos in th story.
While all of these are splendid photos… I feel last one's composition is exceptional. Beautiful historic place and great information.
I have seen this structure and heard about it so many times in books and on television, but today saw in with you and almost heard the echos as you described it. Simply marvellous narration, this time the narration is better than the pictures.
Amazing architecture! And I'm particularly interested in the "seven echoes" 🙂 That is so cool!
wow! thank you for the wonderful images and commentary. excellent!
Very interesting ! what an impressive monument !!
What a fantastic place. Do you think it's one of the biggest rooms in the world? Great photos.
Indrani, if there is anything that marvels me, it is none other but your Intelligence as reflected in the orderliness and organization of your thoughts that You Shared with Us. That explains the title of your blog.
In my opinion, I think, even if there is a huge hallowness inside the premise of this beautifully architectured Gumbaz, it is the fact that the design outside is compact and could be the factor for its echoing Accoustics.
Another yet magnificent and excellent contribution to the blogosphere from your end.
Loved the way you have narrated the history and the details. The snaps are beautiful as usual.
What an amazing place.. Love the details in the writing.. and in the photographs…
Oh how I wish.. I could be there..
Thanks for the virtual tour Indrani. It's a delight to view magnificent edifices. I would love to listen to the echo of my whistle too. Happy Tuesday!
Simply outstanding.
Wonderful post. Your world is always so interesting and beautiful. Love reading about the echo.
That was unbelievable to read, this must be one of the places I would put on my short list to visit. Thanks for showing all the beautiful pictures!
How wonderful to have such a place to visit! Thanks for sharing with us.
What an amazing place. Love the soft echos you were able to share, quietly, at least for a while.
I was in a building in California once where the acustics were like that and it was magical.
Such an interesting post and really informative…
What beautiful architecture and captures!!
What smooth cool beauty there is in those interior walls!
Awesome pictures! Interesting history too. The place is so majestic as it is.
What a fascinating post about another beautiful site. I've been to a whispering wall at the Temple of Heaven in Beijing. It's a fascinating place as well.
Stunning! Such intricate details…
I wonder, too, what it would have looked like if completed. The acoustics in the Whisper Gallery sound amazing. I'd love to listen to the seven echoes.
Great photos and tour.
Just so magnificent a virtual journey through another place in time.
That is a very impressive ediface.
One day is not enough to truly enjoy all that this place has to offer. Thanks for your beautiful shots and informative reporting.
a most magnificiant structure…it is indeed a massive structure if its size rivals saint peters. beautiful architectural details.
so enjoyed the post and the whisper detail.
have a lovely week.
Wonderful place. Simply breath taking, I can imagine how fun it would be to photograph.
Beautiful view and building.
I am enjoying this trip with you. The Dome is such a magnificent building. The structures on the sides almost look like the Pisa (not that I have seen it in person) in pictures. Indeed an interesting post.
I also enjoy very much your posts and photos Indrani. This was another interesting one!
Another marvelous and interesting post! What a beautiful place and your narrative is fascinating as always. Your photos are always superb! Have a great week, Indrani!
I'm impressed you got there that early! I imagine it must've been quite eery being alone in that huge building just around dawn.
What a beautiful place. Your posts are always so interesting and I love learning about the architecture and history of places like this that you feature.